Effectiveness and Relevance of Training for International Counseling Graduates: A Qualitative Inquiry     

Jared Lau  Kok-Mun Ng 《International journal for the advancement of counseling》2012,34(1):87-105

The present study was a qualitative study that sought to examine the experiences and perceptions of international counseling graduates (ICGs) who had returned to their home country to work, focusing on the effectiveness and relevance of the training they had received in the United States. Participants were also asked to outline the roles they played in the development of professional counseling in their own country. Eight themes emerged from in-depth interviews involving nine participants: (a) Pioneering and Leadership, (b) American-centric Training, (c) Sojourner and Returnee Adjustment Distress, (d) Personal Investment from Trainers, (e) Student-Centered Training, (f) Time and Financial Constraints, (g) Independent Learning, and (h) Research. The data indicated that participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness and relevance of their training were mixed. Implications for training international counseling students are considered.  相似文献   

The use of wikis in a science inquiry-based project in a primary school     

Wilfred W. F. Lau  Vicky Lui  Samuel K. W. Chu 《Educational technology research and development : ETR & D》2017,65(3):533-553

This study explored the use of wikis in a science inquiry-based project conducted with Primary 6 students (aged 11–12). It used an online wiki-based platform called PBworks and addressed the following research questions: (1) What are students’ attitudes toward learning with wikis? (2) What are students’ interactions in online group collaboration with wikis? (3) What have students learned with wikis in a science inquiry-based project in a primary school context? Analyses of the quantitative and qualitative data showed that with respect to the first research question, the students held positive attitudes toward the platform at the end of the study. With respect to the second research question, the students actively engaged in various forms of learning-related interactions using the platform that extended to more meaningful offline interactions. With respect to the third research question, the students developed Internet search skills, collaborative problem solving competencies, and critical inquiry abilities. It is concluded that a well-planned wiki-based learning experience, framed within an inquiry project-based approach facilitated by students’ online collaborative knowledge construction, is conducive to the learning and teaching of science inquiry-based projects in primary school.  相似文献   

An investigation of user perceptions and attitudes towards learning objects     

Siong-Hoe Lau  Peter C. Woods 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2008,39(4):685-699

This study empirically evaluates the technology acceptance model drawn from Information Systems (IS) literature to investigate how user beliefs and attitudes influence learning-object use among higher education learners by evaluating the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, behavioural intentions and actual use. In the study, 601 potential learning-object users were presented with an introductory demonstration of learning objects for a Digital Systems course. Following the demonstration and practice, data on user beliefs, attitudes and intention to use learning objects were gathered, while data on actual use of learning objects was collected at the end of the semester. Subjects with prior experience using the learning objects were eliminated from further analysis, resulting in a final sample of 481 users. structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypothesised study model. The analysis showed that both the user beliefs and attitudes have significant positive relationships with behavioural intention and that behavioural intention accurately predicted the actual use of learning objects. The results extend the validity of the TAM into a learning object context and clearly pointed out that it can be used to predict users' future behaviour.  相似文献